Face to Face discography explained

Artist:Face to Face
Studio:10
Live:3
Compilation:2
Ep:8
Singles:12
Music Videos:11

This is a comprehensive discography of Face to Face, a Southern California-based punk rock band. The band has released eleven full-length studio albums (counting a covers album), eight EPs, two split albums, one official live recording, one compilation album, eleven music videos and twelve singles. This list is not intended to include material performed by members or former members of Face to Face that was recorded with Legion of Doom, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, No Use for a Name, The Offspring, Pulley, Saves the Day, 22 Jacks, Viva Death, Red Faced, or Real Space Noise.

Biography

Face to Face traces its beginnings back to 1988 when singer/guitarist Trever Keith, bassist Matt Riddle, and drummer Rob Kurth formed a local metal band called Zero Tolerance.[1] After forming, Kurth's friend Mark Haake joined the group in 1989 as an additional guitarist for a couple of months before getting orders to the Middle East with the Air Force. Although no formal studio recordings of Zero Tolerance exist, they had recorded a handful of demo tapes. As a three-piece, the band played a show at Spanky's in Riverside, California, and a couple of other local shows. When Haake left, the band continued as a three-piece and changed their name to Face to Face in 1991.

In late 1991, Face to Face were signed to a local punk rock record label Dr. Strange Records. Dr. Strange issued the band's first single "No Authority" and their first studio album Don't Turn Away, which was released in 1992. Copies of Don't Turn Away sold quickly and Dr. Strange was unable to keep up with the demand, so Keith contacted NOFX's Fat Mike of Fat Wreck Chords to re-release it with wider distribution. In addition to re-releasing the album, Fat Wreck Chords released "Disconnected" as a 7" single in August 1993. Also in 1993, just after a three-week tour in Germany supporting their labelmates Lagwagon, Face to Face added Chad Yaro as an additional guitarist. Before the band could begin work on Don't Turn Aways follow-up, they made a decision to go with a new label that had major-label distribution. The label, Victory Music,signed them and then they entered the studio with producer Thom Wilson (of The Offspring fame) and began recording their second album, entitled Big Choice. The label was nervous about their distribution deal and wanted a test release to run through the system, and issued an EP of songs from 7"s and other rarities called Over It.

A&M Records signed the band and re-released Big Choice in 1995, yielding a minor hit on the L.A. local radio station KROQ with the re-recording of "Disconnected". After touring with bands such as NOFX, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and The Offspring during 1995, Riddle left Face to Face and went on to play in 22 Jacks and Pulley before settling on No Use for a Name. The band replaced Riddle with a then-unknown bassist named Scott Shiflett. Face to Face returned to the studio in 1996 to record another album for their label, resulting in their self-titled fourth album, which was a moderate success. To promote the album, the band joined the Warped Tour in 1997.

After promoting the self-titled album, longtime drummer Rob Kurth left the band in early 1998. To finish out the touring cycle for the self-titled album, the band replaced Kurth with Jose Medeles, who was out with them on a co-headlining US tour with the Reverend Horton Heat band, before taking a break to write and record their next album. After 25 different drummers were auditioned to replace Kurth, the band finally found Pete Parada. After the release of two more albums, Ignorance Is Bliss (1999) and Reactionary (2000), Yaro departed from Face to Face in 2001. Instead of hiring a replacement for him, the band decided to continue as a three piece.

After the release of one more album, How to Ruin Everything (2002), Face to Face decided to call it quits, and embarked on a farewell tour in 2004. The band released a holiday song "Merry Xmas" on the 2004 Kevin and Bean album Christmastime in the 909. After breaking up, Keith had been active in the mashup group Legion of Doom, among other bands such as Shiflett's brainchild Viva Death and a solo project called Pablum. Yaro had been missing from the public eye after his 2001 departure from Face to Face. After leaving Saves the Day, Parada joined The Offspring in 2007, replacing Atom Willard, During the recording of their new studio album at the time.

After a four-year hiatus, Face to Face reunited in January 2008 for select shows in the US and internationally.[2] In April of that year, they performed together for the first time since breaking up at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California, and have continued to perform numerous live venues since. The band released Laugh Now, Laugh Later, their first album in 9 years, on May 17, 2011.

Studio albums

YearTitleComments
1992Don't Turn Away
1995Big Choice
  • Re-released in 1995 by A&M Records, marking Face to Face's first release on a major label.
  • First album recorded with Chad Yaro on guitar, and last album recorded with Matt Riddle on bass.
1996Face to Face
  • Label: A&M Records
  • Released: September 10, 1996
  • Formats: CD, Vinyl LP, Cassette
1999Ignorance Is Bliss
  • Label: Beyond Records
  • Released: July 27, 1999
  • Formats: CD, Cassette Tape
1999Standards & Practices
  • Label: Vagrant Records
  • Formats: CD, Cassette Tape
  • Covers album.
  • This album was recorded at the same time as Ignorance Is Bliss and self-released at the same time. It was re-released in 2001 on Vagrant Records. The UK version includes 2 bonus tracks.
2000Reactionary
  • Last album recorded with Yaro on guitar.
2002How to Ruin Everything
  • Label: Vagrant Records
  • Released: April 9, 2002
  • Formats: CD, Vinyl LP
  • Final album before disbanding.
  • The only Face to Face album thus far recorded without Yaro since Don't Turn Away.
2011Laugh Now, Laugh Later
  • Released: May 17, 2011
  • Label: People Like You Records[3]
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
  • First album since their reunion.
  • First album with Yaro on guitar in 11 years.
2013Three Chords and a Half Truth
  • Released: April 9, 2013
  • Label: Rise Records
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
  • Last album recorded with Yaro
2016Protection
  • Released: March 04, 2016
  • Label: Fat Wreck Chords
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
  • First Album recorded with Dennis Hill on guitar
2020Standards & Practices, Vol. II
  • Released: October 16, 2020
  • Label: Antagonist
  • Formats: LP, Digital Download
  • Covers album
2021No Way Out But Through
  • Released: September 10, 2021
  • Label: Fat Wreck Chords
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download

Live albums

YearTitleComments
1995Combat Zone
  • Label: Unofficial Release
  • Format: CD
1998Live
  • Label: Vagrant Records
  • Format: CD
  • Recorded live in Los Angeles in September 1997.
2019Live in a Dive
  • Released: October 18, 2019
  • Label: Fat Wreck Chords
  • Format: CD, LP
  • Part of the Live in a Dive series

EPs

YearTitleComments
1994Over It
  • Label: Victory Music
  • Format: CD, 10-inch vinyl
1994Split w/Horace Pinker
  • Label: Rhetoric Records
  • Format: 7-inch vinyl
1996Econo Live
1999So Why Aren't You Happy?
  • Format: CD
  • Reissued as bonus tracks on Ignorance Is Bliss
2002Split w/Dropkick Murphys
2011Split w/Rise Against
  • Label: Folsom Records
  • Format: 7-inch vinyl
2012All For Nothing
  • Label: Antagonist / People Like You Records
  • Format: 10-inch vinyl
2013The Other Half
  • Special release for Record Store Day.

Compilation albums

YearTitleComments
2001Everything Is Everything
  • Label: Kung Fu Records
  • Released: 2001
  • Format: CD, DVD
2005
  • Label: Antagonist Records
  • Released: November 1, 2005
  • Format: CD
  • Released after Face to Face's demise.
2018
  • Released: July 27, 2018
  • Label: Fat Wreck Chords
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
  • Acoustic studio album with new version of previously released songs.
2020Standards & Practices, Vol II
  • Released: October 17, 2020
  • Label: Antagonist Records
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital Download
  • Covers album.

Singles

YearTitleAlbumMusic video?
1991"No Authority"Don't Turn AwayNo
1993"Disconnected"Don't Turn AwayYes
1995"Debt"Big ChoiceYes
1996"Paint It Black"Non-album trackNo
1996"I Won't Lie Down"Face to FaceYes
1999"God Is a Man"Ignorance Is BlissYes
2000"Disappointed"ReactionaryYes
2002"The New Way"How to Ruin EverythingYes
2011"It's Not All About You"Laugh Now, Laugh LaterYes
2013"Right As Rain"Three Chords And A Half TruthYes
2016"Bent But Not Broken"ProtectionYes
2016"Double Crossed"ProtectionYes
2021"No Way Out But ThroughNo Way Out But ThroughNo
2021"Farewell Song"No Way Out But ThroughNo

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zero Tolerance . Tartarean Desire . 2008-11-28 . 2007-10-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071016205324/http://www.tartareandesire.com/bands/Zero_Tolerance/7024/ . dead .
  2. Web site: We’re back!……….sort of . FaceToFace.com . 2008-01-29 . 2008-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080123070418/http://www.facetofacemusic.com/blog/?p=3 . 2008-01-23 . dead .
  3. Web site: People Like You Records website . 2011-05-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728143018/http://www.peoplelikeyourecords.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=494 . 2011-07-28 . dead .